Highland Shifters: A Paranormal Romance Boxed Set

by Unknown

  Colin expected some pushback from his brother, and he got it. But he was able to turn Ariane over to Kate, who greeted her warmly, despite the lack of a common language. Colin explained that she needed food, a room to sleep in and a change of clothing if Kate could manage it. Despite being noticeably pregnant, Kate started getting this organized with her usual efficiency.

  Ross, meanwhile, dragged Colin into his study and demanded an explanation. Cam had not yet arrived.

  It wasn't until Ross started grilling him about who she was and why he had brought her here that Colin realized how much had changed in his own mind since he and Ariane had formed a telepathic link.

  He had, he reminded himself, been hunting her.

  He had captured her. And now he felt proprietary toward her. He had been inside her mind. He was damn well planning to be inside her body, too, just as soon as she would allow it. He didn't want his brothers interfering with the woman whom he now considered his.

  "Sorry to keep you guys up so late. Kate especially, with that pregnancy and all."

  "No worries; she's got three more months to go."

  "What have you told her?"

  "I told her you were coming and that you might be bringing a guest." Ross grinned at him. "She asked if she should prepare one room or two."

  "Well, I wouldn't mind, but I don't know about her," Colin laughed. "She's splendid, isn't she?"

  "I didn't notice. Is she what I think she is? She's come through from the other world?"

  "Aye, that she has. She's a Traveler of Zanovar. She and her sea dragon companion were attacked by something they call a darkling. Sounds like a vampire to me. Her sea dragon was injured and may have gone back through the Barrier. Or he may be dead. I couldn't find his body, though."

  "Jesus. And you got her back here by swimming with her?"

  "Aye. Worked fine. Glad you told me about that or I wouldn't have known what to do. There were fucking black helicopters out. I think they were Cam's, but I wasn't sure, so I figured better safe than sorry."

  "I've spoken to Cam. He says he'll be here tomorrow. As for the girl, I told Kate to put her in the guest chamber in the west tower wing."

  "Wait. The one with the barred windows? Isn't it cold up there?"

  "Not at all. It's quite pleasant. And the door has a sturdy lock."

  "She's not a prisoner, Ross."

  "When he finds out about her, Cam will regard her as one. You know that. She's probably a spy."

  "Well fuck that, when it comes to her world, so am I."

  "You'd be locked up in a Sar water dungeon if they caught you there, Colin. Tortured probably, too. You know that."

  "There's not going to be any torture of Ariane."

  "Certainly not under my roof," Ross agreed. "But you'd better tell that to my twin."

  "Damn straight I will. Please back me up. His interrogations make my blood ice over."

  "I'll do my best," was all Ross would promise. "She will have to answer some questions, though. If she's cooperative, there should be no need for any of his more vicious tactics."

  "She's not a spy. She crossed the Barrier accidentally."

  Ross shrugged. "Well, we have to be sure of that, don't we? And according to Cam, things are messy these days. There's a restless werewolf gang with a new alpha up north, and a rampaging vampire wreaking havoc down in Edinburgh. Why those vamps always seem to go in for mass murder, I just don't know. You'd think they really were back from the dead, because those freaks are psychopaths."

  "Everybody hates vampires," Colin agreed.

  "You say this woman, this Traveler claimed to be attacked by a vampire?"

  "She called it a darkling. I caught the scent signature near the Barrier. Smelled like a vamp to me."

  "That's interesting. Did you know there were vampires in the other world?"

  "Nope. Hadn't heard. But since most folks don't know we have them in our world, either, that's no big surprise."

  "I wonder if they have shifters over there, too?"

  "Ariane seemed surprised by the concept, although she handled her surprise well."

  "I hope she's willing to share information with us."

  Would I share information if I were captured, Colin asked himself.

  The answer, distressingly, was no.

  Chapter 11

  Ariane was grateful for the warm blanket and the cheerful chatter of the woman who was married to Colin's brother. As she spoke, Ariane listened closely, trying to learn the new language. The general cadences and sounds were indeed similar to Arralic. She must be in a country that corresponded to Arralon.

  Twin worlds. This land was roughly in the same position on the map as Arralon, and the language, too, was similar.

  She was given food and fresh clothing that was more feminine than the sweat suit. She liked the laird, whom she met briefly, and his wife, who spent a good deal of time with her. They laughed and used hand gestures as they tried to communicate. Her name was Kate, and her babe was expected some three moon cycles from now. Her belly was large and she often put her hand to it and smiled, as if she could feel the baby move.

  Ariane had never been pregnant herself, never really thought about the idea of giving birth to offspring. But Kate seemed to be looking forward to it.

  Kate showed Ariane to a bedchamber in a high wing of the castle. Although the windows were barred with an iron grill, the rectangles between the bars were large enough to allow a splendid view of the sea and the village on the mainland, which was separated from fortress by a narrow causeway.

  Ariane was intrigued to see how bright the lights were in the village, even though it must be well into the night. They must have the same form of illumination that the keep had—soft glowing lights that did not burn or smell. Were they fueled by some kind of gas vapor? Compared to the dark palaces of the wealthy in the lands of Arralon and Zanovar, and even Sariye where there were flares and candles everywhere, this place was amazingly bright.

  She could see lights in the distance, too, although not many of them. Colin had told her that the land around Mallochbirn was mostly farmland, moors and mountains. There were no large cities nearby.

  The village differed from any she had visited in Arralon. Because of the lights that burned through the darkness, she could see that the roads were paved with a smooth, hard surface that made traveling easy, especially in the strange mechanical vehicles that moved by some type of rapid self-propulsion. She did not see any horses or oxen. Of course, it was dark and she was not herself. The shock of losing Rin might have addled her brain. She couldn't be certain that anything was entirely real.

  She was not normally a fanciful person. She considered herself sensible and tough-minded. It was not unheard of to lose one's bonded partner. Or to encounter strangers. She had been trained for such events. Remember your endless years of instruction. Don't disgrace the Guild. You can cope with this!

  Still, she could not drive from her mind the mental sound of Rin's groans, his pain, his terror, his desperation because he couldn't find and protect her. Oh Rin. You tried, my dear one. He had saved her from drowning. He had set her safely on shore. But she had not been able to help him, or soothe his wounds.

  Before leaving her to sleep, Kate, smiling kindly and gesturing with her hands, showed Ariane to a small bathing room that was attached to the bedchamber. She looked around, impressed. There was a commode, a washing bowl with valves for both hot and cold, and a large tub with an overhead spray, which Kate turned on for her. Soon steam began filling the room. The fixtures were made of soft white porcelain, which was rare in her world, even in the palaces of kings. Ariane had not seen such a fine bathing facility anywhere except in Sariye with its elegant public bathhouses.

  Nodding and smiling, Kate handed her a pile of fluffy white towels. Grateful for the means to get clean, Ariane slipped off her clothing. Kate seemed surprised, but not embarrassed by Ariane's rapid disrobing. Perhaps people were accustomed to more modesty here? It was hard to know.
Colin had introduced himself to her naked.

  She quickly learned the words thank you, water, and sleep. Kate made sure that her bedding was turned down before giving her a spritely wave and leaving her alone in the room.

  Grateful that she had found such friendly people in this strange world, Ariane used the switches Kate had shown her to turn out the lights. Then she climbed into the bed and nestled into the warm bedclothes. When she closed her weary eyes, she saw Rin and heard once again his anguished sounds after she had ordered him to leave her. Tears dampened the pillow as she slipped into sleep.

  * * *

  Colin had always been an explorer, and one of the places he had thoroughly explored was Mallochbirn Keep. More than any of his siblings, he knew every nook and cranny of the place. He knew all its secrets.

  There was a network of old tunnels in the thick walls. Colin had discovered them long ago, when still short and skinny enough to fit in the narrowest ones. He had no idea whether anyone else in his generation knew of the tunnels, although he suspected Ross might.

  The room where Kate had been installed had once been an important guest chamber. There was a secret passage that led to it. It had probably constructed back in the days when spying on your important guests was universal.

  Colin lay in his own bedroom and tried to resist temptation. There was no reason for him to spy on her, and certainly none to intrude on her. But that hunting instinct was still alive in him and he couldn't resist.

  As he crept through the tunnel to her room, he mocked himself over the shame he felt. Damn he was pervy.

  She was sleeping, looking sweet and lovely, lying on her side with her knees tucked up. One hand was under her cheek and the other lay quietly on the half-tossed-off quilt. Kate had given her a nightgown, but she had draped it over the headboard instead of wearing it. She slept naked. He could see the soft curves of her body. She had a small waist in proportion to her breasts and hips.

  Her skin was darker than most of the women he knew in Scotland. Not brown, but cafe au lait with a slight rosy tint. Her hair was light, something between gold and honey with a touch of copper. It was long. Her hair had been braided when they had met, probably to keep it out of the way while she swam. She must have loosened it for sleep because it was all around her now, a shiny cloud of fine hair.

  He wanted to sink his fingers into that softness, wraps thick locks of it around his wrist. Pull it. Grab it in his fists and drag her head back so he could have full access to those lush lips, that beautifully arched throat.

  Definitely pervy. His cock grew hard, watching her. The desire to take himself into his hand and bring himself to climax was strong. Truth was, sex hadn't been that big an obsession in recent weeks, despite his occasional fun with Evie. He had been too obsessed with learning all he could about the world beyond the Barrier. The world from which this lovely desirable woman had emerged.

  There was something special about her. Something special about the way he felt when he was around her, with her, touching her. Something extraordinary about the mental connection they had shared during the swim back to Mallochbirn. He'd never been inside another person's mind before. It had been strange and intriguing. Mysterious. A different landscape from what he was accustomed to in his own mind.

  His explorer instincts and his innate curiosity made him want to experience that bond again. To probe it. To know more of it. And of her. Inside and out. He also wanted to fuck her, and he wished he could burst in and do it now.

  He was glad that Evie had made it clear from the start that she wasn't monogamous. "I'll be with you, Colin, if we're both in the mood, but don't expect anything from me. I like men, especially shifter men, but not exclusively. I'll get with ords too when I fancy them. It's my nature. I've never been a one-man woman."

  He'd been fine with that, never having been a one-woman man. But as of tonight, he wasn't interested in Evie or any other woman. He wanted Ariane, and he was damn well going to have her.

  Chapter 12

  "I want to talk to her."

  By noon the next day, Cameron had arrived. As usual, he was trying to run roughshod over everyone. Ross, his twin, knew how to handle him, but Cam had always presented a challenge for Colin. He was closest in age to the twins—only two years younger—and he had never appreciated Cam's tendency to push him around. Or try to.

  "She's been through a difficult experience. She's resting in her room."

  "Have someone bring her down and get her ready for me."

  Colin bristled. "Get her ready for you? What the fuck does that mean?"

  His cold-hearted brother eyed him. Colin waited for him to make a nasty remark, but surprisingly, all Cam said was, "I am going to question her, of course. In the meantime, I want to know everything you've managed to find out so far. This could be a big help to us. Quite a coup. I congratulate you, little brother. As far as I know, a spy from the world of Dunya has never before been captured before."

  "She's not a spy," Colin said. He was trying not to lose it with his brother, but he could already feel his blood pressure rising. "She blundered through the Barrier accidentally. All she wants is to find her wounded sea dragon and go home."

  He hoped his voice didn't convey the reluctance he felt about allowing her to leave. Now that he'd found her, he didn't want to relinquish her.

  "She's one of the Travelers, isn't she? She was riding a sea dragon, or swimming with him. We know the Travelers are the primo intelligence agency in the other world. No doubt her 'accidental' incursion was deliberate. The only thing accidental about it was that her arrival was detected."

  Colin knew he had to keep his head on straight, no matter how infuriating he found his brother. The fact was, Cam was right. However much he might have been tossed head over heels by meeting her, and however much his body might be aching to get her under him and fuck her, Ariane was a creature from another world. Possibly—no, probably—sent here to spy. Maybe even to steal technology. Of course the head of the Council of Protectors had to question her. Guarding the Barrier and protecting this world from incursions was the raison d'etre for the whole Malloch clan.

  The Mallochs were not the only Guardians. There were many other clans and bloodlines, not only in Scotland, but in other lands as well. Most were shifters of some variety. Not all knew or recognized their heritage, or their responsibilities to humanity. Some even preyed on humanity. When in their changed form, they were all predators, which was why learning discipline and control was so damn important.

  He had to exercise some self-discipline now. Ariane could tell them a world of things. Why was she here? What was her mission? How did the mysterious Travelers operate and what were their overall goals? What about the other nations in the other world? Ariane would have information about all these entities and peoples. If she could be convinced to share it.

  "Bring her in, please," Cameron Malloch ordered.

  * * *

  Ariane knew things were going to be different today. Kate was just as warm when she came in the morning, bringing a pot of hot tea, which appeared to be a popular beverage in this land known as Scotland. The laird's wife encouraged her guest to join the family at breakfast, which she was glad to do. But when Ariane asked if she could go outside to explore the village, Kate looked apologetic and refused.

  She gathered that another brother was scheduled to arrive soon at the keep. Although she and Kate had been exchanging dozens of words in their respective languages, she didn't know enough yet to ask a coherent question and comprehend the answer.

  Colin had spoken of the brother, too. She guessed that he was senior to Colin and important in some way. And that he was coming to investigate her. If she had understood Colin correctly last night, those search helicopters had something to do with him.

  She tried to envision what sort of questioning she could expect here. Colin had obviously been to her world, but she had no idea how much the older brother knew.

  If interrogated, she was permitted by her Guil
d's rules to answer basic questions about her identity and her diplomatic responsibilities. But her knowledge of the formalities between nations, like boundary disputes and trade negotiations, was confidential. As for information about the inner workings of the Travelers Guild, she could not breathe a word about that.

  Surely there wasn't much to worry about. How would someone who did not live in her world even know which questions to ask?

  She was taken to a chamber that opened off the gallery above the great hall. The room appeared to be a study, with bookcases lining the walls, a heavy desk placed in front of a smallish window, and a few chairs. The brother, Cameron, moved behind the large desk, clearly the position of power in the room. He looked almost exactly like the laird, his twin. She was invited to stand before him, like a petitioner before a judge.

  Smiling politely, she conceded the positioning. In her own world, she would be greeted as a near equal by heads of state, and as a person deserving of deference from someone of Cameron's level, which could hardly be too elevated since he appeared to have no entourage or symbols of high office.

  On the other hand, Ross was the local ruler, if she understood correctly, and he wore no symbols of office, either. His entourage consisted of his pregnant wife, a cheerful cook named Mrs. Dumfries, an aide de camp named Hamish, and a young man named Jamie who had wolfed down a quick breakfast, tossed Ariane an admiring grin, waved and exited, still munching on food that he had gathered up in his hands to take with him wherever he was going.

  If there were other servants around, she hadn't yet seen them.

  A strange world, certainly.

  None of them treated each other with any particular deference either, as far as she could see. There was no bowing or lowered eyes or obsequious tones of voice. They were all quite boisterous, cheerfully chatting and even arguing in what sounded like friendly tones.

  It was different and refreshing. There was something appealing about these people. Colin especially. She had dreamt of him last night. A very sensual dream.